Vineet Kumar

Energy & Mining

OVERVIEW

Globally 60% of total power generation is done through

Thermal power stations.
Main parts of the plant are:

1. Coal conveyor
2. Pulverizer
3.Boiler
4. Stroker
5. Electrostatic Precipitator
6. Smoke stack
7. Turbine
8. Condenser
9. Transformers
10. Cooling towers
11. Generator
12. Transformers

COAL CONVEYOR :
This is a belt type arrangement which is used to transport coal
from storage units in the power plant to the nearby boiler.
STOKER :
The coal which is brought to the nearby boiler has to be put into
the boiler furnace for combustion. This stoker is a mechanical
device for feeding coal to the furnace.
PULVERIZER :
The coal is put in the boiler after pulverization. For this pulverizer
is used. A pulverizer is a device for grinding coal for combustion in
a furnace of the power plant .

BOILER:
Pulverized coal is put in boiler furnace in which water is heated
and circulated until the water is turned in to steam at the required
pressure. Coal is burned inside the combustion chamber of boiler.
These gases which are at high temperature vaporize the water
inside the boiler to steam.
CONDENSER :
Steam after rotating steam turbine comes to condenser.
Condenser refers here to the shell and tube heat exchanger
installed at the outlet of every steam turbine in Thermal power
stations. These condensers are heat exchangers which convert
steam from its gaseous to its liquid state. In so doing, the latent
heat of steam is given out inside the condenser .

COOLING TOWERS :
The condensate water after condensation is initially at high
temperature. This hot water is passed to cooling towers. It is
a tower in which atmospheric air circulates in direct or indirect
contact with warmer water and the water is thereby cooled.
Water, acting as the heat-transfer fluid, gives up heat to
atmospheric air, and thus cooled, is recirculated through the
system.
ECONOMISER :
Flue gases coming out of the boiler carry lot of heat. Function of
economiser is to recover some of the heat from the heat carried
away in the flue gases up the chimney and utilize for heating the
feed water to the boiler. It is placed in the passage of flue gases in
between the exit from the boiler and the entry to the chimney.

ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATOR :
It is a device which removes dust or other finely divided particles
from flue gases by charging the particles inductively with an
electric field, then attracting them to highly charged collector
plates.
SMOKE STACK (CHIMNEY) :
A chimney is a system for venting hot flue gases or smoke from
a boiler, stove, furnace or fireplace to the outside atmosphere.
They are typically almost vertical to ensure that the hot gases flow
smoothly, drawing air into the combustion through the chimney
effect.

GENERATOR:
A generator is an electromechanical device that converts
mechanical energy to alternating current electrical energy. Most
generators use a rotating magnetic field. Any AC generator can be
called an alternator, but usually the word refers to small rotating
machines driven by automotive and other internal combustion
engines.
TRANSFORMERS :
It is a device that transfers electric energy from one alternatingcurrent circuit to one or more other circuits, either increasing
(stepping up) or reducing (stepping down) the voltage

OVERVIEW
Hydro electric power plants harness power from water under
pressure to generate power.
Nearly 30% of the total power generated by world is met by
hydro electric.
Nearly 3288 TWh of potential is available globally.

SELECTION OF SITE
The site for Hydraulic power plant is selected considering the
following factors
Water availability
Water storage facilities
Head of water

Distance from load center

Accessibility of the site

SCHEMATIC OF HYDRO ELECTRIC POWER PLANT

COMPONENTS OF HYDRO ELECTRIC POWER PLANT

Reservoir

Dam
Fore bay
Waterway

Draft tube
Surge tank
Spillway
Power house and equipment.

WATER RESERVOIR
Reservoir is used to store water behind the dam which is
utilized by hydro electric plant to generate electricity.
Reservoir may be natural or artificial.
Water held in the upstream reservoir is called storage and
water behind the dam at the plant is called pondage.

DAMS
A Dam is a masonry structure built at a suitable location
across a river.

The primary function of the dam is to provide the head of

water.
Dams are classified based on:

Function
Shape
Construction materials

Design

FOREBAY
Forebay acts as a temporary regulating reservoir

The forebay has the following parts:

Entrance bay
Spillway

Screens
Valve chamber
Penstock inlet

TRASH RACK
It is provided for preventing the debris from getting into the
intakes from the dam or from the forebay to the turbines
Trash rack is generally made up of steel bars

WATERWAY
A waterway is used to carry water from the dam to
powerhouse.
It includes canal, penstock and tunnel
Tunnel is the passage created by cutting a mountain to reduce
the length of the waterway to the power house.
A canal is an open structure constructed on earth or rock.

PENSTOCK
Penstock is a pipe which carries the water from reservoir to
turbine house
Penstock is made up of steel or reinforced concrete
Penstock should be sloping towards the powerhouse
Sharp bends should be avoided and generally require special
anchorages
The intake of the penstock should be at a low level to provide
adequate water seal under all conditions

SURGE TANKS

Surge tank is a storage reservoir fitted to a penstock .

It controls the pressure variations resulting from the rapid change

in water flow from penstock and thereby prevents water hammer
effects.
Its function is to control water when load on turbine decreases
and supplies water when the load on the turbine increases.

POWER HOUSE AND EQUIPMENT

In the powerhouse conversion of energy of water to electrical
energy takes place.
It has the following equipments
Turbines
Generators
Relief valve for penstock fittings
Transformers
Flow measurement equipments

TURBINES
Hydraulic turbines are classified into two types they are
Impulse turbines
Reaction turbines
The impulse turbines are used for high head power plants and
reaction turbines are used for low and medium head power
plants.

ADVANTAGES OF HYDRO ELECTRIC POWER PLANTS

Water is cheapest and a reliable source of generation of
electric power
Its maintenance cost is low
No fuel transportation problem
Running cost of plant is low
In addition to power generation it is used for irrigation and
flood control purposes

DISADVANTAGES OF HYDRO ELECTRIC POWER PLANT

The power produced by the plant depends upon quantity of
water in the dam and prevailing rainfall in the region
The cost of transmission is high

Erection of the plant is cumbersome and time consuming

NUCLEAR FUEL
Nuclear fuel is any material that can be consumed to
derive nuclear energy. The most common type of nuclear
fuel is fissile elements that can be made to undergo
nuclear fission chain reactions in a nuclear reactor
The most common nuclear fuels are 235U and 239Pu

NUCLEAR FISSION
When a neutron strikes an atom of uranium, the uranium
splits into two lighter atoms and releases heat energy

Fission of heavy elements is an exothermic reaction which

can release large amounts of energy both as
electromagnetic radiation and as kinetic energy of the
fragments

NUCLEAR REACTOR
A nuclear reactor is a device in which nuclear chain
reactions are initiated, controlled and sustained at a steady
rate, as opposed to a nuclear bomb, in which the chain
reaction occurs in a fraction of a second and is
uncontrolled, hence causing an explosion.

CONTROL RODS
Control rods are made of a material that
absorbs neutrons and are inserted into the
bundle using a mechanism that can rise or
lower the control rods

The control rods essentially contain

neutron absorbers like, boron, cadmium or
indium.

STEAM GENERATORS

Steam generators are used to convert water into steam from heat
produced in a nuclear reactor core
Either ordinary water or heavy water is used as the coolant

STEAM TURBINE

A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts mechanical

energy from pressurized steam and converts it into useful
electrical energy
Various high-performance alloys and super alloys are used for
turbine fabrication

COOLANT PUMP
The coolant pump pressurizes the coolant
to pressures of 155bar
The pressure of the coolant loop is kept
constant with the help of the pump and a
pressurization unit

FEED PUMP
Steam coming out of the turbine flows
through the condenser for condensation and
is re-circulated for the next cycle of operation

The feed pump circulates the condensed

water in the working fluid loop

CONDENSER

Condenser is a device or unit which is used to condense

vapor into liquid

The objective of the condenser is to reduce the turbine

exhaust pressure to increase the efficiency and to recover
high quality feed water in the form of condensate & feed it
back to the steam generator without any further treatment

COOLING TOWERS
Cooling towers are heat removal
structures used to transfer processed
waste heat to the atmosphere
Water circulating through the condenser
is taken to the cooling tower for cooling
and reuse

ADVANTAGES

Nuclear power generation emits relatively low amounts of

carbon dioxide (CO2). The emission of green house gases and
their contribution to global warming is therefore relatively
little
This technology is readily available, it does not have to be
developed first
It is possible to generate a high amount of electrical energy
through a single plant

DISADVANTAGES

The problem of radioactive waste is still an unsolved one. It

is technically impossible to build a plant that is 100% secure
The feedstock for nuclear energy is Uranium. Uranium is a
scarce resource. Its supply is estimated to last only for the
next 30 to 60 years depending on the actual demand